Ability
by SadieYuki
Summary: After Elias Powers' words manage to work their way into Charlie's thoughts, Charlie begins to worry about the people he cares for the most, mainly...his little brother. //Post 'Mind Games'//


**I take pride in knowing that this is the very first Aaron Stone fic on FanFiction (at least that I've looked for, and trust me, I've looked), so I hope you guys enjoy it! Not really anything major, just a look inside of Charlie's mind and the struggles of being a video game avatar.**

**

Charlie Landers leaned against the kitchen table as his little brother, Jason, walked past him to grab a can of soda. When Jason withdrew his head from the refrigerator, he noticed Charlie staring at him with a lost expression on his face.

"Dude, you okay?"

Charlie shook his head a bit, snapping back to reality. "Yeah," he muttered, his gaze shifting to the ground. "Just thinking."

The truth was Charlie had been thinking a lot lately.

...Yeah, laugh it up.

But in all seriousness, there was a lot going on in his life at the moment. His single mother is struggling to support him and his little brother, and he has to look after his little brother. And to be quite honest, his little brother acted a lot younger than many of the fourteen year olds in his grade.

Or maybe Charlie just acted older for his age? He does have a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Being the 'man of the house', having to watch over his little brother, both in itself a mighty task.

Oh, and he has to save the world.

You see, Charlie isn't just your normal high school jock. He also likes to play video games. His current favorite: Hero Rising. The name of his avatar: Aaron Stone. The name of his alter ego: Aaron Stone.

Hero Rising isn't just a video game, it's a re-creation of real life events. The villains and events are real. Aaron Stone is real. Charlie Landers is Aaron Stone.

Not many people know the truth about Charlie. In fact, the only people who do are Mr. T. Abner Hall, president of Hall Industries, the owner of Hero Rising; STAN, or Sentient Tactical Assisting Neo-human, an android tasked with assisting Aaron; and the girl-next-door, Emma Lau, or like Charlie, can be known as her own Hero Rising avatar, Dark Tamara.

So of course, as in the video game, Aaron Stone has to save the world.

Charlie Landers has to save the world.

...What?

It's a big responsibility, right? Added to everything else in Charlie's life at the moment...he has a lot going on.

So when Jason almost fell from that bridge last week, Charlie nearly had a heart attack. In a drastic attempt to redeem himself in the eyes of his older brother after breaking his prized guitar, Jason tries to win enough money in a contest on 'BuddyVerse' that endeavors to find the person who does the stupidest thing.

Jason's 'stupid' idea? Dressing up as his Hero Rising avatar, Terminus Max, and hanging from a bridge by a cable secured only by duct tape.

Oh, and while he's hanging, the cable starts to break.

If Charlie hadn't gotten to his brother in time, he wouldn't have a little brother anymore.

But since he saved his little brother, Elias Powers escaped from his prison.

Elias Powers, the creator of Hero Rising. One of the smartest men on Earth, if not the smartest himself.

Powers was probably the main reason for Charlie's sudden brooding. He was the reason Charlie had begun looking at his family differently lately, as if it would be the last time he saw them.

Charlie hated to admit it, but Powers got to him, he really got Charlie thinking and worried. It's not everyday that one of the most dangerous people alive threatens to take everything you care about away from you. In previous encounters with the Omega Defiance, Charlie had mostly just tossed insults and threats aside, never really seeing a backbone behind it.

Powers, however, was a different story. Within that first minute of talking to Powers, Charlie let slip that he had a brother. That single slip up cost Charlie, or Aaron at the time, and Powers deducted so much about him just from the brief period they spoke. His brother was younger than him. He is the 'man of the house', with only his single mother caring for him.

So when a guy like Powers can read so much about you from just talking to you for a minute, you tend to get scared.

Charlie was terrified. He knew that being Aaron Stone was a risk in the first place, but the more he became involved, the more he began to realize how much he was putting his family in danger. It was only a matter of time before the Omega Defiance learned Charlie's true identity, and with a guy like Powers in their side, it could be soon.

He hated having to put his family at risk, but Charlie knew he had to. Everything he was doing as Aaron Stone was to help save the world, so that would mean saving his family as well, right?

"Are you sure you're fine, bro?"

Charlie focused in on Jason's hand waving frantically in front of his face.

"What are you doing?" Charlie questioned.

"You're spacing out on me, dude."

"Sorry," Charlie shrugged lightly. "Just lost in thought."

Jason scowled then walked away towards the stairs. "You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Don't think _too_ hard, you don't want to hurt yourself."

"Ha ha," Charlie bit, watching his brother walk away, for what could be the last time... "Hey, Jase!"

"Yeah?"

_Who am I kidding, he's walking up the stairs. I'm being way too paranoid._ "Never mind."

"Whatever," Jason waved in annoyance, continuing his trek up the stairs.

Charlie watched him until he disappeared behind the second floor rise.

He shook his head lightly.

Sure, Charlie had a lot to worry about. Taking care of his mother, his little brother, school, and saving the world was a lot to handle.

And sure, he worried for his family's well being, but he knew that whatever path he chose from here on out, his family would be in danger.

Charlie just felt better knowing that as Aaron Stone, he could do something about it.

**

**So, I hope you guys liked it! This fic was inspired when I saw the episode Mind Games, and how much it seemed like Powers had affected Charlie. I just liked how it got Charlie thinking, and this was just a little of what I thought Charlie may have been thinking of. I may have a bigger fic in the works, but I'm not sure where the plot in my head is taking me...and I'm still waiting for the show to confirm some things. I guess that's it for now!**

**Peace out!**

**Sadie**


End file.
